6 x 6 inches, oil on masonite, © Ann Painter 2009
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The title for this painting came from a student's comment when describing how she felt when she saw something she wanted to paint. The day we were out in the Painted Desert at Ghost Ranch, this was it. We hiked into the desert to get a really good look and make a decision about where to set up. The weather was clear and sunny when we started in the morning but by afternoon, clouds built up and our perfect light was gone. The painting had to be finished in the studio but while we were there, the morning light was intense turning the normally brownish hills, an sunlit red color. I actually see these hills as intensely saturated and painted them that way building layer upon layer of color until I get the effect that I want. I suppose I judge whether I have achieved what I am looking for more by feeling than sight. I know in my gut when a painting is finished. There is simply nothing left to do, no place else to go and I have no anxiety about any part of it not working. Over the years I have come to trust that feeling. As with other paintings, I have simplified reality to suit myself and still capture the essence of the place.
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